Why the Mini Cooper S is still the hottest hatch in town

There is something irrepressibly cheery about the Mini Cooper S. And that’s why its appeal never wanes

The evolution of the Mini, from an object of utility to an object of desire, is a curious thing. A product of the late 50’s, the original Mini celebrated minimalism. It was one of a handful of champions that collectively revived the European car-making industry. As innocuous as it may have seemed, the original Mini still remains a genuine automotive heavyweight and one of the most influential cars of the 20th century.

But it took a man named John Cooper to realise its true potential as a rally icon – and there’s no greater anvil to test a car’s drivability and durability than the hairy-chested world of rallying. And so, the Mini Cooper S was born, as many great cars are – by being taken out of their comfort zone and thrashed about on a gravelly, muddy countryside. It’s that libertarian approach to driving, that the third-generation MINI Cooper S owes its current form to.

As I adjust the new hardtop Mini Cooper S’ driver settings to its alleged ‘go-kart’ level, I’m reminded that BMW hasn’t forgotten the original Cooper’s steadfast adherence to its maxim of simple and unbridled driving fun. The third-gen Mini Cooper S is still the hottest hatch in town. To begin with, Mini decided to laugh in the face of convention and fit the new Cooper S with a bigger engine. The 2.0-litre, in-line four which replaces the old 1.6-litre one, gets a twin-scroll turbo added to it, taking its power levels to a very healthy 190 bhp.

In its Cooper S guise, embellishments and all, this car isn’t exactly ‘mini’. But every curve, slat and contour of the car has been polished to make it stand out – to be attractive enough to never be mistaken for anything remotely in the realm of the ordinary. If pedestrian gaze is anything to go by, they’ve clearly succeeded. It takes a truly remarkable design to survive the rigours of time, decade after decade, and the Cooper S still loyally holds onto those trademark visual cues which link it to its ancestor.

The Cooper S is pretty much the entry-point for twin-turbo performance on Indian roads, and even when it’s zipping about on a curvy B-road, it’s evidently all the performance you would need in the city. Though large, linear tracts of tarmac may not be to its liking, it can hop lanes like a caffeinated cricket and dance around the bends, accompanied by the music of a throaty John Cooper Works exhaust. BMW’s workmanship is evident in the complete lack of body roll – the Cooper S has clearly done its rounds at the Nurburgring. This does make the ride a bit stiff, but not bone rattlingly so.

Another feather in its cap, is Mini’s unique and intuitive interior design. Never one to go off-track with their retro theme, Mini has created a cabin that is classy, usable and special. The large, circular multimedia console is quite easy to interact with. Those flickable, retro switches make the whole interface feel more tactile than a lot of modern cabins.

There is something irrepressibly cheery about the Mini Cooper S. And that’s why its appeal never wanes. Its perpetually sunny disposition makes you want to wake up before day break and take it for a spin, yearning for an empty stretch of tarmac to experience the thrills promised by that roaring exhaust note. Despite being inflated to accommodate all the bells and whistles necessary to put it in the luxury-performance safe zone, it still celebrates the simple joys of driving.